“More confrontational phase”: how the situation around the possible entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO is developing

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg paid an official visit to Finland and discussed with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö the prospects for the country's membership in the North Atlantic Alliance.

Stoltenberg wrote about this on Twitter.

He stressed that the bloc takes seriously the security issues raised by Turkey in this context, and promised to "find a common direction for further action."

“I am delighted to meet with President Niinistö to discuss Finland's application for NATO membership.

We take Turkey's security concerns seriously and will remain in close contact with our ally Turkey, as well as our partners Finland and Sweden, to find a common direction for further action," the NATO Secretary General said.

Earlier, during his speech at a discussion at the summer residence of the President of Finland, Kultaranta, Stoltenberg said that if Russian leader Vladimir Putin wanted a smaller NATO presence on Russian borders, “then he gets exactly the opposite.”

“An even greater (presence.

) NATO.

The applications of Finland and Sweden to join our alliance are a clear signal.

Aggression does not justify itself.

Intimidation doesn't work.

The doors of NATO are still open," the bloc's Secretary General said.

According to him, joining the alliance "would make Finland safer", in addition, "would also strengthen NATO."

Stoltenberg said that this country, together with Sweden, has "substantial military potential."

“It includes significant reserves, advanced aircraft, naval forces - and all this can be used jointly with NATO,” the bloc’s secretary general said.

As Stoltenberg noted, the security of Finland is important to the North Atlantic Alliance, and many allies in the bloc allegedly have already given Helsinki and Stockholm "clear security guarantees."

“And NATO remains vigilant.

We are expanding our military presence in the region.

And we are doing more exercises.

Right now, here in the Baltic Sea region, our exercise Baltops is taking place.

More than 45 ships, over 75 aircraft and more than 7,000 military personnel from 14 NATO member countries, as well as from Finland and Sweden, take part in them together,” Stoltenberg said.

He also added that he was "looking forward" to the day when the bloc could accept Finland and Sweden into the alliance.

• NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

• AP

• © Johanna Geron

In addition, during a joint press conference with Niinistö, the NATO Secretary General explained that he does not consider the June summit of the organization in Madrid to be the deadline for the admission of these two countries to the alliance.

In turn, the President of Finland said that Helsinki refuses to join the North Atlantic Alliance without Sweden.

According to him, if the problems of Stockholm with Ankara due to joining NATO are not resolved, then Finland will support the Swedish authorities.

Stoltenberg later traveled to Sweden, where, during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson, he welcomed Stockholm's willingness to discuss Turkey's claims in order to gain a seat in the alliance.

North Atlantic aspirations

Recall that on May 18, Finland and Sweden simultaneously applied for NATO membership.

Ankara opposed the membership of these two countries in the bloc, citing the fact that the states do not support Turkey's anti-terrorist actions and do not lift the arms embargo against it.

As President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the congress of the ruling Justice and Development Party in early June, Ankara will not change its position on joining Sweden and Finland to the bloc until these countries fulfill all the requirements of the Turkish side.

Later, the Yeni Şafak newspaper reported that Ankara presented Helsinki and Stockholm with ten conditions on the entry of these countries into NATO.

According to the publication, they are required, among other things, to support Turkey in its fight against the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the organization of the Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen (FETÖ) and their branches.

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic also opposed the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO.

He demands that the issue of electoral reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina be resolved first, which would allow the Croatian people living in the country to elect their national representatives to the public administration system in general elections.

At the same time, the United States and some of its NATO allies have already welcomed the entry of Finland and Sweden into the bloc.

On June 2, the White House press office reported that US President Joe Biden "expressed strong support" for Stoltenberg's efforts to facilitate the rapid process of Sweden and Finland joining the alliance.

Russia has repeatedly expressed its position regarding the possible entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO.

So, on June 6, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that in this case, Moscow "can only concern one thing" - if the inclusion of the two countries in the bloc "creates direct threats" to Russia's security.

“The fact that politically this will not make the situation better, in my opinion, is obvious to any sane politician,” Lavrov said.

"Showing indifference"

According to experts, Stoltenberg's statements during his visit to Finland indicate that NATO is deeply indifferent to Russia's concerns about the bloc's expansion.

“Stoltenberg is absolutely undiplomatic, even boorish, that the more Moscow demands respect for its security, the less it will receive.

At the same time, all the assurances of the Russian Federation that NATO should take seriously the issues of security guarantees offered by Russia are simply not taken into account in the bloc, ignored, ”said the deputy director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts of the RUDN University, member Public Chamber of Russia Nikita Danyuk.

In his opinion, this is the "quintessence of the bloc's policy."

“Such ostentatious indifference of Stoltenberg about the concerns of the Russian side about its security shows that NATO is far from being a defensive alliance.

He wants to expand his influence without taking into account the interests of other forces in the world and surround Russia, pushing his infrastructure to its borders, ”the expert said.

In turn, Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics of the Moscow State Pedagogical University, also noted that Stoltenberg's words speak of NATO's goal of further expansion to the east and moving towards Russian borders.

• NATO Headquarters

• Legion Media

• © Panama Pictures

“NATO Secretary General flaunts that Sweden and Finland are striving for an alliance.

The leadership of the bloc wants to extend its influence to the maximum number of countries, ”the expert said in a conversation with RT.

According to Danyuk, the North Atlantic Alliance has a "negligent attitude" to international stability, which destroys the global security system.

“The world is entering a more confrontational phase, and the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO will only exacerbate this process,” the analyst said.

In addition, Danyuk called "false" the words of Stoltenberg that Finland will be safe when it joins NATO. 

“The neutral position of Finland and Sweden protected these countries from unnecessary military confrontation with anyone, including Russia.

However, the more actively Helsinki and Stockholm promote NATO ideas, the less they can feel safe: if NATO military facilities appear on the territory of Finland and Sweden, the Russian Federation will automatically consider this as a threat, ”the expert said.

Shapovalov adheres to a similar position.

According to him, NATO is far from a guarantor of security in the world, as they are trying to present in the bloc.

“On the contrary, it is the main destabilizing force in the world.

And in the event that Sweden and Finland join NATO, the threat factor from the bloc will increase dramatically.

And this will mean increased tension, primarily in the Baltic region and in the Arctic, ”the analyst believes.

As Danyuk explained, Sweden and Finland will be able to become part of NATO only if Ankara's requirements for these countries are met.

“Turkey will not yield.

All the more so ahead of the elections: it is important for Erdogan to use the demands put forward by Finland and Sweden in the internal political struggle.

At the same time, it is possible that Helsinki and Stockholm will agree to all the conditions of Ankara, and then the entry of these two countries into NATO may occur before the end of this year.

The President of Croatia will also be persuaded to agree to this accession, ”the expert predicted.